The present invention pertains to automobile navigation systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for allowing quick selection of destinations by users of an automobile navigation system.
Current automotive technology includes on-board navigation systems that are designed to assist the driver of an automobile in reaching a desired destination. One type on-board automobile navigation system allows the driver to input a destination, computes a best route to the destination based on a stored street map database, and then provides step-by-step route guidance instructions as the vehicle travels, to guide the driver to the destination. The instructions may be given in the form of text, graphics, recorded or synthesized speech, or a combination thereof. The system may also provide the driver with a visual street map display based on the stored map database and indicate the position and movement of the vehicle as the vehicle travels. The navigation system may use any of various techniques to determine the position of the vehicle as the vehicle travels, such as dead-reckoning in combination with map matching, which may also be used in conjunction with a precise positioning system, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) or the like. On-board navigation systems having features such as these are designed by Visteon Technologies LLC of Sunnyvale, Calif.
Many users and potential users of automobile navigation systems are not very technology-savvy, or they simply are unwilling to spend more than a few seconds interacting with the system on any given trip. Many users become frustrated or annoyed if they are required to carry out more than two or three simple input actions before receiving route guidance from the system. Consequently, it is desirable to provide automobile navigation systems as simple and easy to use as possible, and require very few input actions from the user.
The present invention includes a method and apparatus for operating an automobile navigation system. A record is maintained of destinations selected by each of multiple users of the system. For each of the users, a set of destinations most-commonly selected by the user is determined, based on the record of selected destinations. A determination is made as to which of the users is the current user of the system, and in response to receiving first predetermined input from the current user, a list of destinations is displayed corresponding to the most-commonly selected destinations associated with the current user. A second input is received from the current user selecting one of the displayed destinations, and a route is computed to the selected destination.
Other features of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description which follows.